**This brief background paper was released on March 30, 2008 at the UNFCCC Bangkok Climate Talks**

Since climate change first emerged as an international issue in the late 1980s, a recurring policy question has been whether to address it on a comprehensive or a sector-by-sector basis. In recent years, sectoral approaches have received renewed attention and are among the options proposed for the post-2012 period.

This background paper helps clarify different types of sectoral approaches under discussion and how they might fit into a post-2012 international climate framework.